Tuesday, May 10, 2011: Mr. Crabby Pants

Gavin got a bad note at daycare today. Under "Today I was feeling," among the possible choices of "happy," "cranky," and "tired" Gavin got a check mark next to "cranky." This has only happened once before. Under "Notes" it says, "Gavin was a little aggressive this morning with friends. Had a hard time sharing." I'm not exactly sure what this means. Did he hit a kid? Did he throw something? Regardless, he's grounded now, obviously. We're pulling him out of daycare and sending him to boot camp. Reform daycare. Or we would but the rest of the note says, "Much better afternoon. :) Painted flowers with a sponge and danced to the Wiggles CD that Colin brought in. FUN!" I love that he was dancing at daycare because he really has some sweet moves and should definitely be showing them off, even if it was to the Wiggles (they've got that one good song, "Fruit Salad," but are overrated it you ask me). I'm looking forward to seeing his sponge paint flowers, too.

Speaking of art, Stacy and Gavin went to an art show tonight at the school. It was school art, stuff by kids, some of whom are probably Stacy's students. There were no reports of Gavin Aggression at the kids' art show though he did bump up against an art project and take much of the green chalk it was made with home with him on his shirt.

Stacy and I suspect that Gavin is teething, which could account for some of his crabbiness lately. He's been drooling a lot and his fingers are in his mouth constantly. I took him to Greenfield Village yesterday and he chewed voraciously on the rubber top of his sippy cup pretty much the entire time we were there. He wasn't crabby, though. Pretty happy for the most part. Maybe a little overwhelmed at times. But I think he dug it. We went on the train, which was the highlight for him, I think. It was noisy and dirty. The big plume of dirty smoke that came from the engine often wafted back into our faces. By the end of the ride Gavin had little soot flecks all over his face. I am sure I did, too. Gavin also got to sit in a Model T, though we didn't ride in one. He also was really fascinated with the carousel, but sadly we didn't have time to ride it. I had actually completely forgotten the carousel existed and only stumbled upon it while we were making our way to the cafeteria. By the time we were done eating -- or, really, by the time HE was done eating (mac and cheese, which he loved. A first for him. And a bagel with super old timely unsalted peanut butter that he liked much better than I did) -- there wasn't time to do anything but make the laborious trek back to the front of the park to the exit. The trek was laborious because I didn't bring the stroller. It's not that I forgot the stroller. No, it was in the back of the van where I left it. I made a choice not to bring it. I just remembered the last time we were there a couple weeks ago Gavin wanted to walk everywhere and Stacy or I would have to push the stroller while the other corralled Gavin and made sure he didn't get hit by any horse drawn carriages. I knew I couldn't do both of those things myself. I also thought since we didn't have anywhere we had to do or go see (we have a membership so we can always go back), letting Gavin meander would be fine. And it was for the most part. The train depot was right at the entrance and so I paid the $4 and we rode the rails like hobos (only a slight exaggeration considering the post-ride grime factor). We saw some horses, he sat in the car. But then it was dangerously close to lunch time. I hadn't planned on eating there but knew we wouldn't make it home in time so I thought what the hell, why not? So we made the trek to get food and then, as I said, it was time to go. Like, really, really past time to go. This is when the lack of stroller became a problem. Because Gavin was getting tired and time was actually a factor. When I let him walk he would often just sit down on the sidewalk like, "Hey, just chillin' here on the concrete." Or he'd veer off in the wrong direction ("wrong" being anywhere but directly ahead to the exit). Then he wanted to stop and see the sheep again, then he heard an airplane overhead, then he heard the train but couldn't see it and wanted to go off on a train hunt. Then he decided he was done with walking and wanted to be carried. I knew from the start it would come to this. I was just hoping it would be closer to the exit. So I carried all 30 Lbs. of Gavin out of the park and into the car. By the time we'd pulled out of the parking lot it was way past his nap time. "Don't fall asleep in the car," I said and much to my surprise he didn't. He was very animated all the way home. So much so that I worried it would be impossible to get him to take a nap. Thankfully it wasn't. He was good and tired out I guess.

Apparently there was a big thunder storm this morning. Lots of loud thunder that woke Gavin up an hour early. I slept through it. Never heard a thing. But his early wake-up can also be blamed for his crabbiness today. Or our bad parenting. That could be it, too. Or the fact that he's a single child thus spoiled and incapable of successful unselfish human interaction. That could be it, too.

Speaking of parenting, Stacy and Gavin made me a shirt for Mothers' Day. As you know, Gavin calls me, "Dirt." And now I have a DIRT shirt. I just wish it said, "Team Gavin" on the front. Gavin and I got Stacy a boatload of flowers to plant per her request (she strongly suggest Gavin make that a Mothers' Day tradition). She was excited that Gavin could help pick out the flowers. And he certainly did. With no regard for things like "annual" or "perennial" or "shade" or "sun" or "$." Holy shit did we spend a lot on flowers. It turns out we bought way too many. But I don't plant flowers. Neither does Gavin. Our knowledge was limited. We did the best we could, which Stacy recognizes. Next year I'll know better. Plus he'll be two going on three. Plenty old enough to be handed a $20 bill and told, "Get your mom some flowers and meet me back at the car."